Norwegian Cabinet Decides Against Expulsion of Eyal No Formal Proof of the Complicity of Israeli off

August 6, 1973

COPENHAGEN (Aug. 5)

The Norwegian Cabinet, meeting in special session in Oslo Friday to examine the “Boushicki Affair”, decided against the expulsion of Israeli Embassy official Yigal Eyal from Norway. At the close of the meeting, Norwegian Foreign Minister Dagfin Vaarvik declared that Norway had no “formal proof” of the complicity of Israeli officials, although he said “some indications permit us to suppose a certain link between them and this affair”.

It had been reported that Eyali would be expelled after two Israeli suspects were arrested at his home following the murder of 30-year-old Mohammed Boushicki. Eyal had reportedly been declared persona non grata by Norwegian authorities and his expulsion was considered imminent. According to the French paper, Le Monde, the Norwegian government decided not to expel Eyal “in order to attenuate the political implications of the affair”.

Le Monde today quoted the Palestinian news agency “Wafa”, which congratulated Norway for its “noble attitude” and denounced the “shameful attitude of French police and authorities when faced with Zionist terrorism”. The Palestinian agency was referring to the murders of pro_Palestinian militants in Paris, Mahmoud el Hamshari and Mohammed Boudia, and whose murderers have not yet been found. Le Monde also quoted the weekly magazine, “Africasia”, which declared that the lives of nine Arab personalities are currently threatened by “Zionist terrorists”.

According to “Africasia, French police have warned the nine of possible assassination attempts and offered to protect them. The nine include Dr. Adel Amer, the director of the Paris Bureau of the Arab League; the new Paris representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization Mahmoud Saleh; the PLO representative in Geneva, Daoud Barakat; Arab journalists in Paris, and leaders of the Paris Union of Palestinian Students.